Ray made his Pro Mod debut in 2006 and his primary target is to run 6-second passes at over 200mph in this most characterful of race cars. Pro Mod cars generally carry composite-material replica bodies but Ray’s is an original, steel Ford Zephyr Mark 1 which has gone through many, progressively faster transformations since it left the Dagenham production line in 1955. Its Ford designers would have found it inconceivable that, 52 years on, their bulbous little baby might be threatening to break the 200mph barrier.

At Easter, transmission woes were Ray’s curse in MSA Round 1 but the team went home confident they had found the solution. At May’s Main Event (MSA Rnd. 2), Ray clocked a career-best 7.391/190.92 before rain stopped play. At June’s Summer Nationals (MSA Rnd. 3), more transmission breakage resulted in a costly first-round loss.

A similar story at September’s FIA European Finals (MSA Rnd. 4) brought Ray’s season to a disappointing and premature end. He elected to miss the National Finals (MSA Rnd. 5) and prepare for a return to action in 2008.